Rain alarm



F. M. GIRTEN Jan. 18, 1955 RAIN ALARM Filed Sept. 30, 1952 United States Patent O RAIN ALARM Frederick M. Girten, Cincinnati, Ohio Application September 30, 1952, Serial No. 312,338

1 Claim. (Cl. 116-69) The present invention relates to a rain alarm, a device to be placed in or near the open window of a sleeping room and adapted for operation to sound an alarm when subjected to rainfall. The device is useful particularly during sleeping hours, to arouse the sleeper in the event of rain entering a window or doorway, so that the occupant of the sleeping room may attend to the windows or doors in time to avoid damage of furnishings in the room by rain falling thereon.

An object of the invention is to provide a rain alarm for the purpose stated above, which is light in weight, portable, and ornamental, and which requires no electric power or wiring for its operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character stated, which is simple, inexpensive, and reliable for the performance of its intended function.

Another object is to provide a rain alarm which is spring powered, and quickly responsive to moisture in the form of a single raindrop, to sound an alarm.

A further object is to provide a device of the character stated, which is noiseless when not in operation, and which requires no attention on the part of the user unless and until the device is actuated by the falling of water droplets thereon, whereupon rewinding and re-setting may be required.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein, and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of the rain alarm embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the rain alarm device, with the cover removed and with parts broken away to show the interior construction.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device as illustrated upon Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail view showing in side elevation, a disintegratable release element for initiating the alarm.

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views showing a pair of supports for the release element.

The alarm device comprises in general, a casing 7 of any appropriate design or shape, to house a spring actuated clockwork 8 or its equivalent, including a sound emitter 9 which may be in the form of a bell or other vibratory tone generator. An escapement mechanism indicated generally at 10, and pivoted at 6, carries a hammer or striker 12 adapted to strike the bell 9 when released, the escapement and hammer being normally held in restraint by a shiftable trigger 13 bearing upon some movable part of the escapement element, such as the arm or extension 14. The trigger normally is held in the full line position of Figure 2, and against the extension 14, by a release element 15 having opposite ends 16 and 17 held by the outer end 18 of the trigger and the outer end 19 of a stationary post or support 20.

The release element 15 is formed of a material, in strip or string form, which will disintegrate or tear apart when subjected to a considerable amount of concentrated moisture, such as a droplet of water or a raindrop. One such material is blotting paper or the like, but it should be appreciated that the invention contemplates the use of any material or substance for the release element, which will respond to water in such manner as to release the trigger 13 for movement to the broken line position 23, under the inuence of thespring force acting to rotate the escapement wheel 21, or under the force of a separate small spring 22 which tends always to bias the trigger toward the broken line position. From the foregoing, it will be 2,699,747 Patented Jan. 18, 1955 ICC understood that movement of the trigger about its hinge mounting 24, to the release position 23, will free the arm or extension 14 and permit rapid oscillation of the escapement mechanism and the hammer 12, by the driving force of the wound spring 25 within the spring drum 26, thereby to sound the alarm.

After the alarm has been sounded as above explained, the device may be re-set for a subsequent operation by inserting a new release element 15 to replace the broken one, and the winding up the clockwork spring 25 by means of the winding key 27.

The foregoing description explains the basic structure of the rain alarm. In the embodiment illustrated, the casing 7 is provided with a cover or lid 2S which may be hinged or otherwise applied thereto, the cover to be removed or displaced to expose the disintegratable release element 15 when the alarm device is to be placed in use. The cover and the casing may be given any desired shape or form, and may be iinished or decorated to render the device pleasing and attractive in appearance. The material of the casing and cover is subject to a wide range of selection, including metal, plastic, moulded compositions and wood.

In the device as exemplified by the drawing, the upright support 20 may be lixed to the clockwork frame at the location 28, whereas the other support or trigger 13 is made longer and carries an eye 29 at its lower end to provide the hinge mounting 24. lf desired, the trigger may be mounted for shiftability in any other manner than by means of the hinge shown. The upper end of the trigger extends through an aperture 30 in the top wall 31 of the casing, if a top wall is provided. The construction at this location is subject to considerable variation, within the skill of the designer. Thus, the wall 31 may be secured to the support 20, or may be otherwise associated directly with the clockwork frame. The clockwork frame may be secured within the casing by means of screws 32, or with the use of any appropriate fastening device.

Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, it will be apparent that the upper end portions of the support 20 and 13 may be provided with transverse slots 33 and 34 the length of which approximates the width of the disintegratable strip 15. The strip is to be fitted into the slots so as to span the supports, with the enlarged or headed ends of the strip bearing against the outer faces of the supports. As was pointed out previously herein, the strip 1S is tensioned or held taut between the supports, by the action of the escapement mechanism or by the auxiliary spring 22 which biases the support or trigger 13 away from the support 20. The tension so applied to the strip causes it to separate and to release the trigger, when the strip becomes su'ciently weakened at some point along its length, by the application of water thereto. The escapement and the hammer are thereby released for operation to sound the alarm.

The clockwork may be of more or less standard construction, including a Winder key 27 on a transverse shaft 35, which shaft carries a ratchet wheel 36 fixed thereto. A spring drum 26 loosely but concentrically mounted upon the shaft, houses the clock spring 25 whose opposite ends are anchored to the shaft and to the drum, in the customary manner. A spring pressed pawl 37, pivoted upon the drum, yieldingly engages the ratchet wheel to preclude unwinding of the spring at all times other than when the escapement wheel is rotated by the intermeshing gears 38 and 39. The gear 38 is fixed to the spring drum, whereas the gear 39 is fixed upon the shaft 40 to which the escapement wheel 21 is secured. It is believed unnecessary to describe the clockwork in greater detail, due to the commonplace nature thereof. It may be pointed out, however, that any other driving mechanism approximating the clockwork shown, is to be considered included within the purview of the invention, and various modifications and changes in structural details of the device may be resorted to, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The term disintegratable material as herein used, means a material which in the presence of water changes its form to some degree, as by stretching, dissolving, or fracturing, so as to release the trigger in the manner explained. Blotting paper is cited as but one example of a satisfactory disintegratable material performing in accordance with the invention.

l elairn;

A rein aetneteti alarm deviee eoinprieing oo rnbiintion, a easing having a. top opening therein, a clockwork. within the easing and Comprising n, Spring powered eseenenient. mechanism, a vibrators' Sound. emitter, and a striker operable by the spring poweredl es apernent mech-k enisrn, to. Strike and energize the Sound emitter, a releasehle. trigger in the forni of a tiet upright Strip movable. in one direction to abut and restrain the striker, and in the opposite direetion te release the Striker for operating upon the sound emitter, said strip including a transversely slot? ted Swinging end preieeting outwardly throng-hv the top opening of the easing, and an inner end mounted upon the eleelework within the Casina, a stationary support in the form of a second upright flat strip projecting from the casing top in spaced substantial parallelism with the slotted end of the trigger strip, the stationary strip having an outer exposed end slotted in correspondency with the slotted end of the trigger strip, means to yieldingly bias the trigger strip. away from the stationary support and out of contact with the striker, and a strap of material disintegratable in the presence of Water, said strap having opposite end portions each including a terminal enlarged loop to abut the outer faces of the upright strips while the end portions of the strap adjacent to the loops rest Within the transverse slots of said upright strips, the length of the disintegratable strap being gauged and limited to span the upright stationary and movable strips when the movable strip is in striker restraining position, with the terminal loops normally resisting displacement of the movable strip to striker releasing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

